The Shortlist for March 1

So it is true! In the wake of Ben Affleck's Best Picture Oscar win for "Argo," it was widely reported that he'd taken a razor to his allegedly lucky beard at an afterparty. And on Thursday, he and his newfangled stubble stepped out for a meeting in Long Beach, Calif.

Affleck's been sporting a generous dollop of facial hair ever since he played Tony Mendez, a CIA operative who rescued six diplomats from Tehran during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis by pretending they were a Canadian film crew. But within hours of snagging Oscar gold for his efforts, Affleck reportedly had friends take turns shaving off the Mendez look -- before he had even left the party at a Los Angeles restaurant.

So it is true! In the wake of Ben Affleck's Best Picture Oscar win for "Argo," it was widely reported that he'd taken a razor to his allegedly lucky beard at an afterparty. And on Thursday, he and his newfangled stubble stepped out for a meeting in Long Beach, Calif.

Affleck's been sporting a generous dollop of facial hair ever since he played Tony Mendez, a CIA operative who rescued six diplomats from Tehran during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis by pretending they were a Canadian film crew. But within hours of snagging Oscar gold for his efforts, Affleck reportedly had friends take turns shaving off the Mendez look -- before he had even left the party at a Los Angeles restaurant.